Biopolymer-based multilayered films aiming tumor cell capture

• Grant number: 19/24731-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2020
• End date: October 01, 2020
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Chemical Engineering
• Principal Investigator: Marisa Masumi Beppu
• Grantee: Bruno Salomão Leão
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Engenharia Química (FEQ). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Campinas , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Prostatic cancer (CaP) is the sixth leading cause of death by cancer among men. The development of faster methods for the detection of CaP prognostic markers is necessary. Recent studies conducted by the Laboratory of Engineering and Chemistry of Products (LEQUIP) investigate the interaction between hyaluronic acid molecules and CD44 receptors, over-expressed in some types of tumor cells, for CaP cells capture in polymer-based multilayered films. The results show that films assembled through Layer-by-Layer (LbL), dip-coating, technique, represent a promising way for fast diagnose platform. Meanwhile, a study conducted by the candidate of the research proposal investigated the effects of process variables on multilayered films assembled through the spin-coating technique and showed that it is possible to control the surface chemistry without affecting film morphology. Although the spin-coater film assembly method is a quicker process, it is still manual, which hinders reproducibility due to the presence of many experimental errors. This proposal suggests an automated approach for the spin coating technique, followed by the analyses of the influence of the process variables on surface chemistry and morphology of chitosan /hyaluronic acid multilayered films. In the end, we also expect to investigate the potential of these multilayered films for tumor cell capture. The assembly of biomaterials through a new LbL technique plays an essential role to expand the expertise of our group towards more sophisticated and high-demand applications. (AU)